Friday, April 26, 2013

Rain was asleep beside me on the bed last night. She was on the middle of the bed, I was by the right side of the bed, and on the left side was the wall and window. I noticed that the curtain was a bit open. It was a ceiling to floor window so it exposes too much of us to the neighbors especially at night when the curtains are open. So I stood up on the bed and was about to walk over sleeping Rain when I stopped and suddenly remembered a pamahiin or urband legend as they call it that the elders would tell us when we were kids. Couldn't help but laugh at how silly it sounded, much more with the fact that we actually believed it!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

These are the usual phrases we use nowadays when meeting up with friends or even holding client meetings. And I am guilty as charged. As I mentioned in my previous post, hanging out at a coffee shop is perfect because it has the perfect "chill" ambiance, complete with cozy couches, yummy pastries, and good coffee. It's the perfect me-time venue for me where I can write. Away from the chaotic (but happy) life of a SAHM. And as we all know, the default coffee shops are those that are owned by international companies. Now, I'm not a coffee expert. And not that there's anything wrong with supporting international coffee shops. I am one of those people who enjoy the casual Starbucks Frap and or her Coffee Bean and Teal Leaf White Chocolate Dream Ice Blended Drink (That's a mouthful!). But one thing I realized when I attended this event in Glorietta, is that we should ALSO support our country's coffee industry.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Everything was quiet. Lights were turned off. Rain and Richie were fast asleep. And so were the rest of the world. Only sound I could hear was the hum of the airconditioner, and the only light in the room was from the iPad, emitting on my face. I was catching up on my blog hopping when I saw something in Animetric's post that caught my attention...

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Like all moms, it saddens me whenever I have to leave Rain in someone else's care. But life is tough and so we gotta do what we gotta do. Like whenever I have to attend some events on The Pickiest Eater's behalf. But besides my experience on these events, one of the things I look forward to is "Me" time.

If I am early for an event (which is almost always the case), I kill time in a coffee shop and try to blog. It's my only other blogging time (besides when Rain is asleep at night). I like hanging around in coffee shops wherein I can stay as long as I want and do my thing without being frowned upon.

Usually I go to Coffee Bean or Starbucks, but last week while I was at Greenbelt 3, I decided to hang out at J.Co's. I remember how much I loved their Alcapone but since my frame of reference was months ago when it first opened (I had only been there that one time) , I had already forgotten what it tasted like. And so I decided to refresh my memory.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

One of the worst has happened today :( my little Rainbow, being the rambunctious toddler that she is now, stuck her finger inside the stand fan... And I wasn't able to get to her on time. HUHUHUHUHU :'((((
But God is good because it didn't chop off her finger. But of course she got cut and it bled :( Funny thing was she didn't cry loudly and long. It was more like a whimper and a short cry and that was it. Anyway I can keep telling myself that but I still blame me :( This is one of the hard things about having a toddler but having no household help. I wish I was Alice Cullen so I can see the future, prevent it from happening, and also be able to run to Rain in the speed of light so I can protect her. (And of course I'd be pretty, flawless, and won't age)

Friday, April 19, 2013

Being a stay at home mom can be tiring. You're doing a million and one things at the same time. And it's not exactly like I have a "rest day". Well actually, I do. From around 12 midnight (sometimes much later) till Rain wakes up. Otherwise known as bed time. Ahahahaha! (Not exaggerating!)

But you know, when you see the smile on your child's face, and when you get amazed at how much she is growing and learning everyday, all the hardships don't seem like such a big deal anymore. You'll feel proud of yourself like no matter how many trials you go through, you feel you're doing something right. And THAT deserves a pat on the back... and a chocolate treat!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

I'm sad to be making my final post about my experience at Sabrina's Kitchen. But no matter, at least I can still follow her on television every Friday on ANC! That being said, we're making this ending sweet by sharing Sabrina's dessert recipe called Idiot-Proof Crepes! (This should be called "Rina-proof" crepes because it does look so easy to do, even for me. hahaha!)

As you may already know, my husband, The Pickiest Eater in the World has a hate-hate relationship with anything tomato. His stomach is sensitive to acidity and so whenever we order pasta or pizza, he always has to go for the non-tomato based ones.

For pasta in particular, he likes oil-based sauces. Which is why I think this last savory recipe from my Sabrina's Kitchen Series is perfect for my little family! I'm sure Richie will love this as much as I did! And I'm pretty sure Rain will love it too! She loves pasta!

So here we go! (Warning: Long recipe title hehehe)

Mccormick herbed butter pasta topped with topped home made chorizos and mussels

Who says you can't make your own inasal? Sabrina Artadi shows you it's very possible to make this famous Pinoy chicken recipe right at the comfort of your own home!
Got no oven like me? No problemo! You can grill instead! This is the chicken dish Sabrina cooked for us during our little trip to her kitchen.

Welcome to my first Sabrina's Recipe post (2nd of 5 Sabrina's Kitchen post! Woohooo!) First recipe I decided to post is this refreshing salad. A perfect starter or side dish to any meal. Usually I like vinaigrette dressings for my salad but this one is an exception. Why? Not only is it delicious but it's super easy to make! (Even for me!) So without further adieu, here's the simple yummy recipe straight from Sabrina's Kitchen!

I think I have met the Philippine's own Nigela Lawson. Sabrina Artadi is a single mom of two children, former Bb. Pilipinas, a consultant, a food and entertaining enthusiast (a damn good one!), all in one. She is one of those moms that one looks up to and wonder "How the hell did she do it?". In that one fortunate day that I met her, I can officially say I'm a big fan!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

This is my first time to attend Expo Mom. And though I was only there for a short period of time, I must say I wasn't disappointed! It was not a super huge bazaar which is good because it's easy to make your rounds. And all of the booths there were all really essential for moms and babies. I attended on the second day because Rain had a prior engagement last Saturday to attend her Ate Chevy's super cute birthday party which I will post soon. Busy baby!

The P30 entrance fee is so worth it. Why? You get a nice loot bag with a jar of Gerber, plus you get to help contribute to the proceeds for MomShare outreach projects!

First booth we visited of course was the Bug & Kelly booth! Check out their new designs!

Friday, April 12, 2013

This morning I got a text from Globe Rewards announcing that I can use my points as cash to purchase anything in Figaro Coffee Shop. I checked my rewards balance and saw that it was going to expire on April 15. That's 3 days away!
So here I am now at Figaro at The Podium for a dinner with our blogger friends. I'm a bit early so I decided to use my Globe Rewards.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

I think I could only count the succesful reading attempts I made to read Rain a bed time story. Why? Because usually by the time I move on to the next page, Rain would have already snagged the book away from me and start flipping the pages herself, not allowing me to read it to her. It was easier to read her a book back then when she was stlll an infant and still hadn't mastered the art of snagging.

"OT". A term all Filipinos know too well. It can either mean two things. Can be positive in terms of earning more for doing Over Time work at the office. But can be negative in terms of spending more time at the office rather than being home early to spend QT (quality time) with the family.

Nowadays, us parents tend to lean a bit more towards practicality. At the end of the day, bills need to be paid. And we have to do whatever we need to do to make ends meet (for most of us anyway). We (and by we I mean my husband) tend to work long hours to put food on the table. But no matter how rough it sometimes gets, I am proud of my husband for still finding quality time with our little Rainbow. It may be just a simple game of peek-a-boo before Rain goes to bed, or a little bed time story, but I am 100% sure this means the world to her. To Rain and me, Richie is our knight in shining armour!

I believe that taking a moment to pause and enjoy life should be done more frequently. Otherwise, important moments just passes you by. Richie works in a stressful environment and so he treasures these little moments that he gets to spend with Rain. Time flies by so fast that she is growing before our very eyes.
Last April 5, we were introduced to a new concept of OT. One that the whole family will enjoy and appreciate. OT now stands for OREO TIME!!!! It's Oreo's way of launching and promoting family time! And some other exciting news. Read on...

Saturday, April 6, 2013

As I have made it clear numerous times before in this blog, I don't know how to cook. My cooking knowledge is limited to frying hot dogs and recently, arroz caldo. That's why I'm at awe whenever I meet someone who knows how to cook really really scrumptious dishes! (And also cant help but feel a bit ashamed of being a SAHM that doesn't cook hehehehe)

So whenever we go to my in-law's place in Antipolo for a family gathering, I have to admit that besides looking forward to spending time with family, I also look forward to what's going to be on the table most especially when I know it's the cooking of my sister-in-law, Rose! She's by far one of the most talented home cooks I know! You can be sure you're in for something really special! (She should make her own recipe blog!)

So while Mom was busy preparing the place and all the wonderful treats for the kids featured in my first Easter Sunday blog, and my sister Raqs was busy organizing what other things needs to be done, and I was a happy helper with the treats, my other sister in law Rose was busy in the kitchen whipping up some amazing Easter Sunday meal!

So without further adieu, here's what we had for Easter prepared by Mom and Rose!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Let me share with you a touching story I watched at the recent episode of my favorite hospital drama series, Greys Anatomy:

A simple mother who works as a waitress brings her son to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital for a check up. She tells the doctors that her son has been sick for a few days and all the other hospitals just keep dismissing her telling her that it's nothing to worry about.

But a few more days has passed and her son is still sick. Her intuition keeps telling her that something is terribly wrong but the doctors just think she's overreacting. She did her own research on the net and made a list of the possible sickness his child might be having based on the symptoms.

Long story short, a mother's instinct is once again tested when it turns out that her son has Kawasaki disease, (which turned out to be one of the items in her research). The only doctor who believed her and helped her was Dr. Meredith Grey, who was also a mother to a toddler and is currently pregnant.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

It was a hot Maundy Thursday when we traveled from Pasig to Antipolo at my in-laws' house. It was a quick drive mainly because half of the population of Metro Manila were out of town on vacation. Us on the other hand decided to have a stay-cation and spend a nice Holy week with our family.

I was particularly excited for this year's Easter Sunday because compared to last year when Rain pretty much did nothing but eat and sleep, she is now much more aware of her surroundings and can kind of understand the things going on around her.

We arrived the house and was greeted by a busy household with everybody preparing for Easter Sunday. I was excited because I had told my mother in law that I wanted to help with the goodies for the kids. When I entered mom's room, I immediately knew this was going to be an Easter Sunday the kids would never forget!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

It's Summer time! Which means time for exciting workshops that you can enroll your kids to! As a kid I only remember taking up a Bible study summer class with my cousins in our province because that's where we would spend our childhood summers. Other than that, I only remember taking up mandatory Math summer classes hahaha! (Don't judge me! I hate math! That's why I took MassCom in College ahahay!)

Rain's still too young to enroll in a summer workshop for now but when she grows up, and if she wanted to, I would like her to take either ballet (so she will learn how to move gracefully and I can dress her up in pretty pink tutus), and also I want her to try theater acting. So she won't be as shy as me growing up. That's why I hope the workshop I'm about to share with you would still be around in 3-4 years hehehe.

K.I.D.S. Center (Kids Integral Development through Skillful Learning) brings you Eager Theater A workshop for kids ages 4-12 that teaches introduction to theater (basics in acting, singing, and dancing) starting on April 8-26, and there is also storytelling, and shadow play which starts on May 6-24.

It is facilitated by Teacher Joan, who happens to be the sole instructor of music and movement in St. Paul Pasig. She also started the dramatics section for grade school so you can be sure she knows well how to teach aspiring kiddos! Check the poster below for more amazing credentials of Teacher Joan!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Here's another awesome bazaar coming up in May! It will be held at the Filinvest Tent, Alabang on May 23-26, 2013. For sure you'll see a lot of local and imported stuff you'd be interested in. From apparels, to gadgets, accessories, organic items, furnitures, you name it! It would be a shame to pass this event! For interested sellers, check out the invitation below from CBB Events (Ms. Ma. Concepcion Bersola and Ms. TinTin Babao):